Article by Cameron Spink

 

Queensland is in agony at the moment. The flooding is massive and Toowoomba and surrounding areas yesterday received 115 millilitres of rain in an hour. It has devastated the region, killing eight people and leaving seventy-two unaccounted for. If ever we needed a reason to pray we have it now.

 

Unfortunately I feel that as Queensland towns get washed away those of us who are not directly affected by it are spending too much time watching it. Sure, it is very important to keep up to date and to know what is happening but at some stage whenever disaster hits we go past that point and start subliminally delighting in other people's misfortunes.

 

We don't want to see people suffer but deep down we tell ourselves "Gee, I'm glad that's not happening to me". The other response is to be too busy with life to care about what other people are going through. I am a victim of both mentalities and neither are Christian responses.

 

As Christians we are part of the same body of Christ. Therefore, when our brethren hurt (like those in Egypt last week) then we should bring these people before God. He knows everyone's struggles much better than we ever could. Even when the plight is not experienced by Christians our response should be different than what seems to come naturally. There are much bigger ramifications when those who do not have faith are dying. They are going to a place from where there is no return.

 

I understand it is not possible to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. There are just too many tragedies occurring to be able to know them all and bring them all too God. However, I want to challenge you (and I wish to challenge myself as well) to get out of a mindset of indifference or guilty pleasure that your life is not being affected and start conscientious prayer for the troubles that befall this world.

 

Donating money is all well and good after the fact but when people are still facing dangers money cannot help them. God has a much longer reach than us and a much stronger impact than money. The pain that those affected by the floods are feeling cannot be comprehended by you or I but certainly resonates with God. We gain nothing by merely watching the news and sympathising.